The Preakness Stakes, along with the Belmont Stakes and the Kentucky Derby, make up one-third of America’s Triple Crown. The race occurs on the 3rd Saturday of May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade One that is run over 9.5 furlongs on dirt and is open to both colts and geldings.
This page is designed to introduce you to everything you need to know about this prestigious annual contest, including Preakness betting tips, course information, the best bookmakers to place your wagers and the history that can help you make informed decisions for the events in our sports betting events calendar.
Where to Bet on Preakness Stakes Tips
With such a vast number of bookies to choose from, making the right decision on which one to spend your money on can be a confusing choice. Although the Preakness Stakes is a significant race in the United States, it is not considered to be quite important in Europe. However, most horse bookmakers will offer odds on the race.
Underneath, you can find a small list of the top bookies to engage in Preakness betting and learn how to bet on horse racing online. We picked them by evaluating payouts, the variety of markets and how early ante-post options are available.
Latest Preakness Stakes predictions
Having reviewed past results, looked at the form and studied the event's history, we have made our picks for this race. This includes our primary selection alongside an outsider. Here are our Preakness Stakes betting tips for 2024. Stay tuned as we explain thoroughly the markets and the latest odds for the event but also for others, like Kentucky Derby betting tips.
Mystik Dan to Win @9/4.
It is no surprise that the Kentucky Derby winner is tipped to win the Preakness Stakes, too. His speed, which showed in that win, comprises a lightning start and a lasting pace to end the race. In addition, the fact that Muth will not participate in the race is an added bonus because it beat Mystik Dan in the Arkansas Derby.
Just Steel has each-way claims @11/1.
We are going with the 3 year-old colt in this one. Just Steel is one of the fastest racing horses out there, something that gives it a big chance to strive at Pimlico, as the race is not that big. It will need to start and finish strong, but we believe it can, as it showed at the recent Arkansas Derby.
What are the Preakness Stakes best bets?
As with any horse race, many wagers can be placed, like a daily double horse bet, but the most obvious is the outright winner. This is a simple one on the horse that you believe will come first in the race in question. So, in the case of Preakness Stakes best bets, the smartest wager is to back the horse you have decided has the greatest chance of success.
Of course, you can always back your pick each way which means that your selection doesn’t have to win in order to generate a return. Some bookies may pay out on extra places as a special promotion, especially on a race as big as this. You can always also have a bet on the first two or three horses home.
These bets are known as forecasts and tricasts and require you to select the first and second or maybe even third horses home but all in the correct order. For a little extra money, you can alter the odds by twisting things up with a reverse forecast or tricast, meaning that the same two or three selections can finish in any order.
Complete Preakness Betting Guide
When it comes to how to bet on the Preakness, things are very much the same as in any other horse race. What this means is that there are several key factors to look into when making your picks. Below, we have outlined some key ones you should consider when drawing up your selections for any horse race, not just the Preakness Stakes.
Who is the trainer?
Besides the horse, there are two other essential parts. The first of these is the trainer. The top trainers will have a long history of success which won't be an accident. They will have earned their reputation, which is worth noting when you are Preakness Stakes betting. You should look into the history of the race to see which trainers have enjoyed the most wins. If you find one that has won this event multiple times, it will be because they know what it takes to win.
Horse’s bloodline and age
Another critical thing to investigate prior to parting with your money and making your Preakness Stakes predictions is to consider your horse’s heritage or pedigree. All racehorses will have a bloodline, but some might have a more valuable one than others. Maybe they were sired by a legend of the sport.
This is often the case as owners pay a lot of money to purchase a horse whose parents were wildly successful and won many big races. Also, consider the age of your selection and look into the average age of the winners over the years. In the case of Preakness, this tends to be around five years.
Jockey is a crucial variable
Finally, when making your Preakness Stakes best bets, consider the person in the saddle, the jockey. Like a racing driver, these people do the hard work at the end of the day. Similarly to the trainer, look at their record in this race. If they have won this event before, you know they have the quality, experience and knowledge to do it again.
Ask yourself whether or not this jockey regularly works with the same trainer, as is often the case, and how familiar they are with the horse. It might well be that this is a new ride for them, or it could be that they have enjoyed many races together.
Which trial races can help with Preakness Stakes predictions?
Preakness betting is shaped most of all by the Kentucky Derby. This is because it follows on as the next leg of the Triple Crown. Nine winners of the Preakness in the last ten years ran in the Kentucky Derby beforehand, and four horses since 2012 did the double. Also, in the same period, four winners of the Santa Anita Derby have gone on to Preakness glory. Below is a complete list of trials you should consider before doing your Preakness wagering:
- 1 Risen Star Stakes (Fair Grounds, New Orleans, Louisiana, February)
- 2 San Felipe Stakes (Santa Anita Park, Arcadia, California, March)
- 3 Rebel Stakes (Oaklawn Park, Hot Springs, Arkansas, March)
- 4 Louisiana Derby (Fair Grounds, New Orleans, Louisiana, March)
- 5 Florida Derby (Gulfstream Park, Hallandale Beach, Florida, March)
- 6 Wood Memorial Stakes (Aqueduct, Ozone Park, Queens, New York, April)
- 7 Blue Grass Stakes (Keeneland, Lexington, Kentucky, April)
- 8 Santa Anita Derby (Santa Anita Park, Arcadia, California, April)
- 9 Arkansas Derby (Oaklawn Park, Hot Springs, Arkansas, April)
- 10 Kentucky Derby (Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky, May)
What should I know about the Pimlico Racecourse?
The Pimlico Racecourse is located in Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States. The track is oval in shape, a mile long, and runs on dirt. It is left-handed and 70 feet wide, one mile in circumference, with a home straight of one and three-quarter furlongs. This site also has room for stables for around 1,000 horses and a capacity of over 120,000 people. Historically, horses between four and five tend to be favoured in this race.
Also Read: Belmont Stakes Betting Guide.
How to Build a Preakness Betting Strategy
When it comes to this Preakness Stakes betting guide, there are several key stats and past trends we need to consider. Below, we have listed some points worth factoring in when making your Preakness Stakes picks.
- 1 Over the past ten renewals, a record winning time of 1:53.28 was set by Swiss Skydiver in 2020.
- 2 The horse was trained by Kenneth McPeek and ridden by Robby Albarado.
- 3 By comparison, the slowest winning time was set five years earlier in 2015, when American Pharoah won at a time of 1:58.46.
- 4 If players were to follow the winner a year later, then, in the last decade, they would only have backed a total of two winners.
- 5 The race’s leading trainers over the past decade are Bob Baffert & Chad C Brown, who have both won the race twice.
- 6 Only five fillies have won the race.
- 7 At the same time, Victor Espinoza won the race two times, making him the most successful jockey of that time.
Should I bet on the Preakness Stakes favourites?
From 2001 to 2015, eight of 15 favourites won the Preakness, and only three finished out of the money. In the past six years, only one favourite has won, which was the 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify. Between 2001 and 2015, only eight out of fifteen favourites have gone on to win the Preakness.
Also, only three have finished outside of the money. The last time a market leader won the Preakness was Justify, who also claimed the Triple Crown. This is worth factoring in when making your Preakness Stakes predictions because these things don’t happen by accident. Following the same pattern, you can also pick the highest prices and win with our Breeders Cup betting tips.
Complete list of Preakness Stakes bookmakers
As one of the world’s biggest and most famous horse races, the Preakness Stakes is definitely one worth following. It is one of the game’s major events and one worth betting on for sure. Run in Baltimore, Maryland, this race makes up part of America’s Triple Crown and carries a purse of $1.5 million, making it also one of the world’s richest horse races. That being said, it is also one of the most competitive, so make your selections wisely.
The Preakness Stakes is held at Pimlico Race Course outside the city of Baltimore, in the state of Maryland, USA, each and every year.
The Preakness Stakes 2024 renewal will take place on the 18th of May at the Pimlico racecourse in Baltimore, USA. This race is scheduled to occur annually on the third Saturday in May, two weeks after the Kentucky Derby. This year’s Run for the Black-Eyed Susans will be the 148th renewal of this prestigious event.
So far in its illustrious history, 13 horses have won the US Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. The most recent winner is Justify in 2018. He is only the second since 1978 to do so after American Pharoah won all three races back in 2015.
The field size of the Preakness Stakes is currently limited to a maximum of 14 horses. That is fewer runners than are allowed to compete in the Kentucky Derby, another leg of the US Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing.
As with all horse races, the most famous wager is the outright winner of the race. This is due to the very nature of the sport. But, of course, betting each way is another popular option and one that offers you the chance to get your money back should your horse not win.
Most online bookmakers will offer Preakness betting markets, especially after the Kentucky Derby has been run at Churchill Downs. This is due to the fact that the races are close together in the calendar, and the result of one strongly influences the betting on the other.
That is entirely up to you. If you have more than one pick in mind, it may be a good idea to back more than one pick. But it is always important to stay within your limits and never bet more than you can afford to lose.
Yes, five fillies have won the Preakness Stakes in its long history: Flocarline (1903), Whimsical (1906), Rhine Maiden (1915), Nellie Morse (1924), and Rachel Alexandra (2009). Only two have won the race since World War 1.